


with the inevitability of the tides

by Rachaelizame



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, Polyamory, Rise of the Empire Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 14:53:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13526610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachaelizame/pseuds/Rachaelizame
Summary: When two people get together to mess with their beloved, they find unexpected consequences.Or, fake dating with three people.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tygermama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tygermama/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Star Wars AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/354597) by Micyclethearcangle. 



The first time they hear about each other they do not meet. She knows him as Commander and friend of her beloved and he knows her as Duchess and beloved of his friend.

They first met after the funeral. It was a brief meeting and neither took much out of it other than the fact that the other looked absolutely devastated.

The second time they meet, he’s guarding her in a small room until the walls nearly collapse and they are trapped for the next few hours.

It’s the second time they meet that they become friends.

“He’s so reckless, too!”

“I know! Constantly losing his weapon and moving on without it!” Satine nods emphatically.

“If you’re going to use a weapon, the least you can do is keep yourself safe with it, not abandon it whenever you please!”

Obi-Wan himself entered then, breath a little rough from the exertion of Force lifting many hallways worth of rocks out of the way to get to them.

“Duchess. Commander. I apologize that we were unable to arrive sooner.”

“Huh. You were right. Seems I owe you a drink, Commander.” Satine said primly, taking the clone’s offered hand to aid her in standing up.

“I did say he would.” Cody explained, as the walls moved back in place.

“What?” Obi-Wan asked.

“Oh, nothing.” Satine said. “Just a bet the Commander and I used to pass the time.”

Both walked past him then, back down the hallways.

-

It was when they were getting that drink that the idea started. They spent the time discussing what they had in common- namely Obi-Wan Kenobi- and ranted about how frustrating (and beautiful) he was.

Satine was the one who voiced the idea. Her tongue had been loosened a bit by the drink, so when Cody asked her if they’d been involved, she admitted to it. She’d been able to detect the slight jealousy in his tone and that sparked in her mind.

“You know, he is a mess. Doesn’t deserve me, or you, or anyone!” She ranted. She perhaps had had a bit too much to drink.

“Agreed. The general needs to get himself straightened out.” Cody nodded.

“He is pretty though. Very pretty, even with the beard.” Satine said wistfully. 

Cody sighed too.

“And brave and reckless and stupid and  
wonderful.”

“You know what? We really ought to do something about that. Knock him off his high horse. If he’s not going to do something, we should!”

“What?”

A mischievous spark appeared in Satine’s eyes.

“Okay, here’s my plan.”

-

The next time they met up, they were much more sober, but still quite committed to their plan. Cody didn’t want to make the first move, afraid the Duchess would have rethought the plan, but she was ready.

The moment she saw him and Obi-Wan she flashed him a smile. Obi-Wan began to smile back, but it faltered when she spoke.

“Commander Cody. So good to see you again.”

“Duchess.” He nodded, smiling back.

“And hello, General Kenobi.” Her voice was noticeably cooler when she spoke to him. Not enough to be cold, but enough to notice a difference. Obi-Wan tilted his head in confusion but greeted her warmly.

Then it all went to hell, because of course it did. Droids began attacking their group at the behest of Death Watch, who, Satine was being forced to admit was becoming a bigger problem than they were prepared to handle.

As they ran away from the droids to a more defensible location, she found herself stumbling and was caught by Cody’s arms. She grinned at the excellent opportunity to advance the plan.

“Don’t worry, Sir. I’ve got you.” Satine frowned at the reminder that the clones call everyone “sir” but made no comment about it at the moment.

“Oh, thank you Commander, I trust you not to drop me.” She said, shooting a look at Obi-Wan, who flushed slightly. Cody quickly turned to look and then shot an appraising look at them both. Obi-Wan shifted from foot to foot.

After a long moment between the three Cody released Satine.

-

Rex laughed when he met up with Cody that evening.

“What game are you playing?” He asked. “I know it’s something.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Cody said, but he was grinning.

“Oh yeah. A soldier and the pacifist Duchess of Mandalore just happened to become a thing.”

“I don’t see why not.” But Cody was laughing through the sentence. 

“Apparently, she’s got a grudge against General Kenobi.”

“More like a crush. And so do you.” Cody shrugged. No use denying it when he’d long since confided in his vod about it. 

“I’d have thought you wouldn’t get along for that at the least.” Rex said. It was a leading question. 

“I wouldn’t have either.” Cody admitted. “But she’s interesting and she knows him in a way a lot of people don’t so we have a lot to talk about.”

“Huh. So what’s the end goal?”

“Just to mess with him as long as we can. He’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

Rex looked dubious.

“I’m surprised he didn’t realize it already. But General Skywalker seems to think he hasn’t. He’s extremely amused by this by the way.”

“He saw?”

“Everyone saw, vod.”  
-

Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi worked harder and harder to frown as he watched his Commander and Satine talk and bond. As she pressed a hand to his cheek, the frown appeared on his face.

Anakin came up behind him and slapped a hand on his shoulder. He was laughing, probably from something Rex had said.

“What are you thinking about?” He asked, trying to follow Obi-Wan’s gaze. Obi-Wan immediately turned his gaze and spoke.

“Oh? Nothing. Just how exactly we plan to get the Duchess to safety.”

Anakin grinned at the mention of Satine.

“The Duchess? She’s not Satine today?”

“What are you talking about?”

“She’s always ‘Satine’ when you’re worried about her.”

“Yes well, she has everyone here to worry over her. There’s not much danger for a civilian when personally watched by a trooper.”

Obi-Wan felt a flash of amusement through the Force but Anakin said nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

Perhaps this was for the best, Obi-Wan forced himself to think. It was going against all his internal emotions, but it was logical. He couldn’t be with either Satine or Cody. He was a Jedi, and he’d never be able to give them what he wanted to give them. He was just being logical.

The fact that he was burying himself in drink didn’t aid that assessment, he acknowledged. It wasn’t all because of them, there were other factors to his getting drunk in his apartment alone, but they certainly kept coming up.

At first glance he couldn’t see what they saw in each other. He was a soldier and she a staunch pacifist. But then he thought about them, and it all made sense. Cody was rational and smart and, and, resolute. And Satine was fiery and brilliant and dedicated. If they’d gotten past the immediate problem, then why shouldn’t they like each other?

It didn’t help that they were both gorgeous. He could certainly see the attraction they might have for each other.

Yes, he thought. This made sense.

-

“It doesn’t make any sense for them to be together, but Obi-Wan seems to totally believe it!” Anakin laughed as he relayed the story to Padme that evening. She giggled into her drink.

“Satine always was a bit petty,” Padme agreed. “She’ll act very professional, but she has a mean streak.”

“And she and Cody are just going for it. Their lines to each other don’t even make any sense except as jabs at Obi-Wan! ‘Not using a weapon means you’re less likely to lose it,’ Cody said to her. In what universe does that mean attraction?”

Padme laughed again, setting her drink on the table.

“I’m interested to see how far they take this.” She mused. “How much can they get away with being believed?”

“I would have said half as much as they’ve already done, so I don’t know. Force, this is the best day of my life.”

-

Satine, meanwhile, was contemplating that days events. It… bothered her slightly that the clones called everyone, including her, “sir.” She wasn’t even a part of their military structure! It was absurd that they treated everyone around them as if the clones were below them. They were people too, if people created in an unusual way.

She was sure she couldn’t be the only one thinking this way. The only question was what she could do about it. She could hardly tell them to stop acting that way, that would defeat the purpose, it likely wouldn’t work, and, as stated before, she had no real power in their military structure so any demands from her could be ignored.

She resolved to speak with someone about this tomorrow. Surely someone would have an idea of how to solve it.

-

Padme grinned when she opened the door to Satine. Since Satine was so often on Mandalore, weeks she spent on Coruscant always had a “girl’s night” of some form. This time, Satine had a musing look on her face, which meant time to discuss politics. No problem, but there was no way Padme was letting her get by without talking about her latest scheme.

“So. You and Commander Cody?” She made sure to put as much disbelief in the name as possible.

“Ah. Master Skywalker told you about my and Cody’s little prank?” Satine replied.

“He sure did. Now tell me. What exactly do you plan to do with this?”

“Just to get his attention.” Satine said.

“Oh? No big plan to get back together with him?”

“You know we can’t. I’m not going to ask him to leave everything he loves behind for me. Besides, I can hardly imagine the Commander agreeing to help me with such a plan when he is so clearly interested in Obi-Wan himself.”

“Oh really? An- Master Skywalker didn’t mention that.”

“Yes. We’ve not discussed it, but it’s fairly clear from his tone of voice when he speaks of him.”

“Is it anything like yours? Frustrated but fond?” Padme teased.

“Yes, actually.”

“Well two person relationships are hardly the only ones available.”

“Yes, well, refer to my other points again. Also, making him jealous seems likely to be a trick that would only work once, if at all.”

-

He wasn’t jealous, he would insist to anyone who asked. He wasn’t! If anything, he was… wistful. Wishful. This wasn’t a life he could have. And he loved the life he did have. So there was no reason to be sad, or to feel as if he had missed out on some opportunity.

Of course, he never considered the idea that maybe banning every kind of attachment was not a good idea, he was a good Jedi, and he wouldn’t question what he’d been taught his whole life. At least, not yet. It would take more than this to get to that stage.

-

Soon, they were off on another mission. Cody sighed. The other men wouldn’t protest, they were good soldiers, but they would miss the down time. It seemed they got less and less of it as the months passed.

As they neared the ship, he saw Satine nearby. So, it would be one last moment to mess with the General, would it? He greeted her, smiling a small amount at the thought of his General.

She said goodbye with her hands on his chest, which, regardless of the fact that they weren’t really involved, felt good. Human- or otherwise- contact always felt good and he got it so rarely because there was a distance between him and everyone else. There was even a small distance between him and his brothers, because he held so much more authority than many of them. They still interacted, he was hardly starved for touch, but still. It was nice.

Neither of them noticed the increasingly sad look they were getting from Obi-Wan. Had they done so, things likely would have proceeded very differently. After all, they only wanted to tease him, not hurt him.

But they didn’t notice, and thus, things continued onward.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some real romance!

They’re in battle. Of course, they’re in battle. It seems they’re always in battle nowadays. He’s running forward, Cody by his side when suddenly the world seems to slow and he gets a moment of warning. He ducks, but it’s not for him.

Nothing passes over his head, it passes beside him and suddenly Cody is down, and his heart stops in his chest. He relies on Cody, he needs Cody, he adores Cody.

He shouts for him to be taken back to the medical tent as soon as possible, as he always does, and if there’s a tension in his voice that usually isn’t there, no one says anything.

-

He dreams when he’s under, always has. Not everyone remembers their dreams very clearly but he does. Today, for some reason, he dreams of her.

She’s talking with him, laughing, something he has plenty of memories of, given their discussions of the General. He can’t deny that she’s beautiful and laughter makes everyone more endearing. He supposes he can call her a friend. After all, they’ve had so much interaction in the last few times they saw each other.

He doesn’t remember clearly what they were discussing, but he wakes with a vague feeling of satisfaction. When his eyes open, for a split second, he expects to see her, before realizing that makes no sense.

Who he does see is General Kenobi, slumped in a chair beside him.

“Cody.” He stirs a moment later, surprising Cody. He’d thought he was asleep. Perhaps he was just “attuned with the Force” or whatever he’d call it.

“General. You shouldn’t be here.”

“One of my best men is in the med tent, don’t I have a right to ensure his safety?” General Kenobi says.

“If you have time to visit me, you have time for sleep. You don’t get enough of that, and I don’t want you wasting it on me. You’re not a medic, waiting here doesn’t do anything for me.” Except feel good. But he’s not going to mention that to his stubborn General, who will only use it as an excuse to visit next time.

“You took quite a beating out there.” General Kenobi says, avoiding the confrontation, as always.

“I imagine; I don’t tend to take naps in the med tent after all.” The general chuckles at that, and Cody feels a rush of warmth at being able to evoke that response.

-

Several of her guards were killed today. They were trying to save her from the Death Watch. She mourns the loss of life, while still moving on to the next step. It’s important to find new guards now.

She knows who she’d like to have protecting her and she ponders him for a minute. She realizes in surprise that this time, in her imagination, he’s joined by another. Somehow, her brain doesn’t want to separate Obi-Wan and Cody. She supposes it's because she’s seen how good a team they make, and it’s always nice to have another friend around.

Still, neither of them can be the ones to protect her, not with their duties, so it’s time to drop the daydream and focus on finding new guards. And also to focus on what she can do about the Death Watch. She doesn’t especially want to go to the Republic, as she feels that will only exacerbate the situation, but she can’t do this on her own anymore.

-

They meet up again.

This time, it’s simple escort duty, a welcome reprieve from endless front line duty. Satine has been called to the Senate for an update on the political climate on Mandalore.

She smiles at both of them this time, greeting them with equal warmth and Obi-Wan is glad to see that any slight he may have offered has been brushed away, if a little perturbed to see they are still… interested.

Still, he doesn’t let it bother him. Doesn’t pay any attention to her hands hovering near Cody’s, or her hands constantly on his chest as they talk, or even her hand brushing the scar around his eye with a concerned look and curious question.

He does pay attention to her goodbye to the both of them. She departs with a hand on his own cheek, her standard goodbye, then she turns to Cody and presses a kiss to his cheek. Obi-Wan allows his eyes to go wide at the gesture, sure a little friendly questioning wouldn’t be too much.

Cody smirks at him- actually smirks, as if they’re having some kind of joke- then grabs her hand and presses a kiss to it.

Well. It seems things have advanced since the last time he saw the two of them together. They must have stayed in contact while they were apart. He ignores the sudden weight in his chest, and resolved to be a better friend to the both of them and ask for details later. He should know these things as their friend, even if each detail feels like agony.

-

Cody doesn’t pay much attention to the General’s questions later. He supposes he should- he’s his general and friend and these questions see, to prove they’ve gotten under his skin, which was the whole point of this charade in the first place.

But he can’t help thinking of his own reaction to the kiss. At the time, he’d simply grinned at her and kissed her hand in response, but ever since then, he’s been unable to get the moment out of his mind.

He supposes it must be because it’s his first kiss of the sort. He’s not had much time to cultivate a romantic relationship, of course, with the war and everything. And he’s had brief tumbles with girls and boys on his downtime, but those were exactly as the name implied. Brief. They were nothing but mutual lust building tension, kisses harsh and passionate. This kiss, though, was sweet, gentle.

He’s never had that before.

He would swear he could still feel the pressure of her lips on his cheek, the way her body pressed close to his as she leaned in to make the gesture. In much the same way as he remembers all his brief touches with the general- oh shaavit.

He’s in deep trouble now.


	4. Chapter 4

Satine thought back on the day’s events and giggled drunkenly. She was in trouble. She and Padme were having a night out and when Padme asked about how things were going with “him,” Satine has automatically given her an update on the fake dating with Cody, before realizing Padme meant Obi-Wan, that she always meant Obi-Wan when she said him.

She’d stumbled over her words then, and resolved to get very drunk. Having done so, Padme was now looking at her worriedly.

“‘M fine!” Satine insisted, a little chagrined at the slur in her voice. “Can’t a girl get a little drunk once in a while?” There, that was better. No slur.

“Yes, Satine, of course. I need to use the restroom.” After Padme come back from the restroom, the two resumed their conversation, discussing a little bit of everything that had been going on in their lives recently. Padme kept glancing at the door, and finally Satine laughed at her.

“Lookin’ for _Anakin_?” She teased. Anakin usually became their driver on nights like these, where they were born drunk. Sure they could take a cab, but then Padme wouldn’t get to see who Satine presumed was her boyfriend.

Ah, boyfriends. Satine wanted one of those. Or two… she was cut off from this thought by Padme's nervous laughter.

“Why would I be looking for him?”

“We usually go home about now and you love him.” She drew out the “love” in emphasis to tease Padme.

“Of course I don’t!” Padme insisted, just as Satine felt someone come up behind her. She frowned, ready to tear whoever it was a new one, but when she turned, she saw Cody’s face.

“Cody!” She exclaimed, delighted.

“Duchess.”

“Now, none of that. I’ve told you, call me Satine.” Of course, she’d told him to call her that in front of Obi-Wan, to keep up their ruse, but still.

Then she saw another familiar figure coming from a different direction.

“Obi-Wan!” Another delight. Then her mind began working and she turned to a Padme with a pointed finger.

“You called them here to take me home. You sneaky girl. I am not drunk.” Padme took a sip of her drink.

“I thought you said it was okay to get a little drunk.”

“It is, but I’m not. I don’t need help.”

“I disagree, Satine,” Cody said, quietly, but loud enough to hear, and that voice saying her name in a low tone nearly undid her resolve right then and there. Then it got worse.

“I’d love to agree with you, Duchess, but I’m afraid I must defer to the Commander.” Obi-Wan said, a slight frown on his handsome face. Satine wanted to touch him, so she stood up and did so, reaching up to cup his face with her hand. Hand. Face. Yes, that was the right order.

“And I am afraid, as usual, that I must disagree, Obi.” She saw Cody mouth “Obi?” to Padme out of the corner of her eye.

“Satine, there are people watching you. If you must continue, let’s head back to your apartment.” Obi-Wan leaned close and murmured this in her ear. Satine pouted in return.

“Fine. But Padme doesn’t get to come, because she told on me.”

“Fine with me,” Padme lifted her hands as if to say she was done with this.

Obi-Wan glanced to Cody for a moment, then offered Satine his arm. She took it, then Cody went to her other side, pressing a hand to the small of her back and guiding her through the crowd.

They entered a cab, and Obi-Wan gave her address, which caused Cody’s eyebrows to raise and led to Obi-Wan blushing in response.

Satine was tired now, all of a sudden, so she leaned her head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder, sighing softly. He was nice and warm and she supposed she could forgive Padme for calling him.

She was hit with a sudden urge to touch Cody as well, so she reached over and pulled his hand into her lap, holding it tightly as she dozed off.

She awoke when they shook her awake at her small Coruscant apartment. She felt a little more herself now, and they brought her inside, and forced her to eat and drink some water.

She dressed herself for bed, briefly getting caught in her dress, but resolving the issue and they came in the room and made her eat again, and drink some more water until finally they allowed her to lay down on the bed.

She felt a hand petting her hair softly and looked up, following the arm to see it was Obi-Wan.

“I’ll be leaving now. Unless either of you needs anything?” He finally said, moving his hand away. Satine whimpered and clutched at his arm.

“Stay!” She asked, and she could practically feel his resolve weaken at the word which had always meant so much to the two of them.

“Until you’re asleep,” he said finally, after a nervous look toward Cody, who was simply watching her. Satine placed Obi-Wan’s hand back on her head and turned to face Cody.

“You too.” She commanded, and gestured for him to sit beside her. She kept her eyes open just long enough to see him nod, and settle on the edge of the bed, just close enough to technically be following her wishes, but not very close at all. She frowned at him for a moment, but decided she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

Then she fell asleep.

-

She woke the next morning alone. She frowned in annoyance at the light shining through the curtains and pondered for a moment if she should buy thicker ones for the next time this happened.

She stood, yawning and went to the kitchen to get breakfast. As she did, she reviewed her memories of the night in her mind, blushing repeatedly until she finally reached the last moment of the night.

“Oh, stupid!” She muttered, leaning her head on the kitchen counter. She never wanted to ask that if Obi-Wan, even for just a few moments, but it seemed her drunken self had disregarded that. Worse, she’d asked Cody to stay as well. Obi-Wan must think her a romantic fool.

No, she reminded herself, he’d never think of her that way. But she would think it of herself for now. She’d messed things up between them again. She shook her head and sighed, then moved on to get ready for the day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin fucks everything up, as is his wont to do.

Anakin’s frowned as he watched Obi-Wan watching Cody and Satine. They were still on Coruscant, Satine’s stay having been extended due to the Death Watch threat. This… wasn’t so fun anymore. Obi-Wan was sad? Genuinely, actually sad, he could feel it across their bond. Obi-Wan had closed off his facial expressions, but he couldn’t- or didn’t- close this off.

And Anakin knew why. He’d always teased Obi-Wan about Cody and Satine, and when this had begun he was all for it, but he hadn’t known it would lead to this. He hadn’t realized Obi-Wan had actually fallen for them, for real. He still couldn’t quite believe it, but why else would h be so sad about them? Yes, Obi-Wan was in love, and Anakin knew it.

Moreover, he knew he had to do something. Cody and Satine at least considered Obi-Wan a friend, if not more, they would stop it if they understood. Anakin nodded to himself and strode over to them.

-

Cody was watching Satine laugh at a joke, smiling softly. He’d had time to analyze his feelings, and though he hadn’t completely fallen for her, he was certain he at least had a- what do normal people call it?- a crush on her. She was beautiful and fun, so why not?

Still, he at least acknowledged he had no shot with her. She loved Obi-Wan, and more than that, she was a Duchess. She’d have better options both if she was going for love or for a political alliance.

He noted General Skywalker nearing them, and nodded at him, automatically standing at attention.

“At ease,” General Skywalker waved a hand. “I’ve got to talk to you about this whole game you’re playing.”

“What about it?” Satine asked.

“It- it’s hurting Obi-Wan. I know you both care for him, and I know you wouldn’t do this on purpose, so listen to me. This game is making him sad! You need to put a stop to it.”

Cody and Satine grew solemn at Anakin’s words. He knew Obi-Wan well, surely he would know if he truly was upset by this. And if he was, then what had they done? They’d accidentally caused the one they loved pain- well, more pain than intended. They’d only meant to needle him a little, not make him genuinely sad.

They turned to each other immediately.

“We need to stop this.” Satine said.

“Wait. If we just… stop, he’s going to have questions. And then we’ll need to tell him we did this on purpose. Will it be better to pretend to have broken up, or to tell him the truth? It might hurt him more to know we did this on purpose.”

“Maybe it's best to just come clean, and tell the truth.”

“Maybe.” But neither made a move toward Obi-Wan.

“Either way, we must stop behaving this way, we can’t go on hurting him.” Satine said.

“I know that! I don’t want to hurt him either! I agree with you!” In most situations, Satine would yell back at anyone who did so to her, but she didn’t have the heart for it right now. After all, she’d just found out she couldn’t be with either the man she loved, or the man she was quickly growing to care about.

-

“I...I think Satine really likes him.” Padme confessed that night, while she and Anakin lay in bed.

“Who? Obi-Wan? I could have told you that.” Anakin said.

“No. Commander Cody. The way she talked about him the other night, and the way she reacted when I call him to come get her… it didn’t seem like just a prank. She didn’t even know Obi-Wan was there at first and she still seemed delighted to see him.” Padme sounds surprised.

“Oh. You really think so? Oh no.” Anakin sat up, frustrated.

“‘Oh no’ what?” Padme asked.

“I told them to quit joking about being together today, because it’s hurting Obi-Wan. If they really like each other, that could be bad.”

“It might be terrible. If they think they’re hurting him, they might break up, just to make him happy.”

“Except it wouldn’t work, because Obi-Wan still doesn’t get to be with either of them, and now they can’t be together either. And all three of them would be unhappy.”

Husband and wife watched each other closer for a moment.

“And there’s nothing we can do about it.” Padme finally said. “Either we tell them not to, and risk Satine getting pissed at us, or, on the off chance she doesn’t feel that way, we just make this whole thing worse.”

“Let’s hope you’re wrong about Satine. Maybe you just don’t know her as well as you think.” Anakin said. But, knowing his wife, the consummate politician and people-person, he didn’t think that was the case.

-

Satine sighed. Of course Cody knew they had to “break up.” He wasn’t the one with feelings. Or, well, he had feelings but they were for Obi-Wan, not her. She could understand that well enough. She certainly felt the same way.

But neither of them could be with him, without asking him to leave behind everything he loved, and she knew neither one of them was willing to do that.

So back to pining from afar it was for both of them. Or pining from nearby, as it was for Cody. Satine couldn’t decide if she was jealous of him for that, or sorry for him. He got to spend more time with Obi-Wan sure, but he couldn’t actually be with him, so being around him so much must be awful.

She was suddenly angry at the galaxy for the injustice of the situation. A part of her wanted to throw the nearest item at the wall, but she restrained herself. She wasn’t a child anymore, after all. But still, she was angry. Of course she had to fall for the unattainable Jedi, and then, years later, when she’s not fully over him, she has to go and fall for his commander, a man who’s already in love and wouldn’t return her feelings.

She slumped down in her chair and considered calling Padme and having a second girl’s night. But she didn’t feel like explaining the whole sorry situation to her regardless of how it might make her feel better to confide in her friend. She stood up, straightening out her dress and chiding herself. That was enough feeling sorry for herself. It was time to get to work. Death Watch was still a problem, after all.

-

As they escorted Satine back to Mandalore, Obi-Wan noticed that she and Cody seemed more distant than usual. They were touching less, and smiling at each other sadly when the other wasn’t looking. He wondered if they had a fight, and wasn’t sure if the thought made him feel happy or wretched. If they broke up, at least he wouldn’t have to watch them anymore- but could he really wish such sadness on the two he loved? He’d rather they be happy together than all three of them be sad apart.


	6. Chapter 6

“We could always just shove them in a closet?” Anakin suggested.

“Maybe… but I don’t think that works as well with three people.” Padme replied.

Anakin and Padme were busily attempting to come up with a plan to get Cody, Satine, and Obi-Wan together. They’d already rejected “candlelit dinner” because those repressed fools would likely just thank them for the dinner and pine all night and they’d rejected “asking them all to hand out and conveniently cancelling” because neither of them knew Cody well enough to justify inviting him out.

Of course, the option of simply talking to them hadn’t occurred to them.

And it never would have the opportunity to, for at that moment Anakin’s comm link began buzzing.

“It’s Obi-Wan.” He said, surprised and moving to pick up the comm link.

“Yeah, Master?”

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan sounded relieved even to Anakin’s ears over the comm link.

“Yeah, Obi-Wan? What is it?”

“I need to borrow your ship.” Obi-Wan said. There was something strange in his voice, something Anakin would call desperation in anyone else.

“Why?” Anakin wasn’t opposed to the idea necessarily, he trusted Obi-Wan, but he needed more information.

“I just got a message from Satine. She’s in danger.” Anakin exchanged a glance with Padme and stood up.

“I’ll be right there.”

-

When Anakin arrived at the Temple hangar, he saw Obi-Wan and- to his surprise- Cody already waiting by the Twilight.

“Here.” Anakin handed over the ID chip needed to access the ship to Obi-Wan’s waiting hands. Cody entered the ship, and Obi-Wan moved to follow him. Anakin caught his arm, needing to say something.

“Obi-Wan… May the Force be with you.” He finally settled on. Obi-Wan nodded, and moved into the ship.

-

Waiting in the cockpit of the Twilight was awkward, in a way things hadn’t been before. Cody didn't know what to say and Obi-Wan was too worried to bother.

“General…” Cody finally began. Obi-Wan turned worried eyes on him. “Where are we going? You said that Satine is in danger and that you weren’t supposed to do anything about it. But you didn’t say anything more.”

“Because I don’t know anything more. She’s on Mandalore is all I know.”

“Mandalore is a whole planet. Where do you suggest we look?”

“She is most likely in the palace. She made her call from the palace district, and I believe Death Watch leaders want to keep her nearby.”

Cody wanted to rebuke that with “you believe?” But he said nothing.

A long moment of silence formed between them. Finally Obi-Wan spoke up.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Cody asked, truly confused.

“I know you and Satine are… involved, and I know I shouldn’t feel this way; I’m a Jedi and we don’t-we don’t- do this. But…”

“You love her.” Cody surmised.

“Yes.” The whispered response came slowly, fear preventing the words from escaping.

“I know. I should probably admit the truth now. This whole time, we were just… playing a joke on you. We were never actually involved.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows raise in surprise, then furrow.

“That’s not all. I can tell. You… you care for her as well.” Cody gave a half smile at his General’s words.

“I do.” He admitted. “I don’t know how or why, but I do.”

Obi-Wan slapped a hand on Cody’s shoulder and gave the commiserating smile of a man in love.

-

When they arrived, Obi-Wan decided a one-man stealth mission was best, and charged Cody with the duty of waiting in the ship, a mission Cody chafed at, but agreed was for the best. It made no sense to try and sneak both of them in, that would only draw more attention.

He waited for a long time, worrying, for the two people he cared for in a romantic way were both at the risk of a threat that they knew little about. Satine was the true target, but should Obi-Wan be caught, they’d surely target him as well.

Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting- waiting in combat always did- he saw Satine and Obi-Wan running toward the ship. Cody began to start the firing sequence, opening the door for them to jump in.

Death Watch soldiers quickly followed them, and Cody lifted off from the ground immediately. He wasn’t an especially skilled pilot, but this he could do. Two Death Watch soldiers began flying at the ship, in some attempt to sabotage it, but he lifted off just seconds away from their attack.

At the moment he thought that, Obi-Wan entered the cockpit, and Cody immediately moved to the gunner position, leaving Obi-Wan to pilot. Much as he disliked it, he was skilled at piloting, and it would be better for him to be in the pilot’s seat.

Obi-Wan sat in the seat, then paled.

“Obi-Wan?” Satine questioned.

“This… it shouldn’t be possible…” Obi-Wan muttered.

“What?” Cody asked.

“It’s Maul. I can sense him nearby.”

“Maul. Is that the Zabrak Force user with the strange legs?” Satine questioned.

“I would presume so. You saw him?”

“He aided the Death Watch in their coup.”

“I fought him with my Master years ago. I… I cut him in half, there’s no way he should have survived that.”

“We can figure that out later. Right now, we need to get out of here.” Cody interjected. He aimed the guns at the ship’s following them and blasted one out of the sky. Obi-wan nodded and refocused on the controls.

He pulled the ship away from the easiest angles to get shot at and shook a few ships off their tail. Cody continued firing, keeping relatively in sync with Obi-Wan’s movements.

Satine set about calculating the route to Coruscant. She hurriedly input all the necessary information as Obi-Wan pulled the ship out of atmosphere. Cody fired one last shot at the following ships before Obi-Wan slammed them into hyperspace.

Satine sighed in relief, and moved to Cody’s side. She pulled him out of the seat and into a tight embrace like the type she’d attempted to give Obi-Wan earlier.

Satine pulled back from the embrace shortly, gripping the back of Cody’s head and pulling him in for a kiss.

His lips were softer than she expected for a soldier, but still slightly rough. She could practically taste and smell the military on him, all ration bars and cheap soap, but because of their earlier meetings, it felt familiar instead of off putting.

He kissed her back after a moment of shock and it was wonderful, feeling his body relax under her. She ran her hands through his hair and down his neck before pulling back from the kiss, but not from his embrace.

She turned to Obi-Wan, briefly catching a horribly sad look on his face before it turned to… something else that she was tempted to call arousal and then shifted again to his characteristic blankness.

“Er, I told him. About the joke.” Cody began awkwardly. Satine shrugged.

“I don’t care. Wanted to do that anyway.” She smiled at the relief that passed over his face, quickly turning to pure happiness. She smiled up at him in delight, content to be in his arms for this moment.

“Well. I suppose that in this case, my good wishes are in order.” Obi-Wan broke the silence. “I’m… very glad you’ve found each other.” But he didn’t quite mask the sadness in his tone.

“Oh, you ridiculous man! You were always welcome to join.” Satine said, briefly breaking the embrace and opening her arms to Obi-Wan. After a long moment, fraught with everything that agreement would mean for them, Obi-Wan nodded and stepped into their embrace.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re back! Should be semi regular updates from now until the end of act 2.

Satine giggled as Cody kissed her neck and Obi-Wan kissed her hand.

“Boys. You know we need to get up.”

Nothing would come of their ministrations anyway. Obi-Wan, while he admitted to an attraction to Cody, refused to sleep with him when they were of different ranks, which, given how the GAR treated clones and ranks, meant he refused to have sex with him until the war was over. They’d tried to convince him otherwise, but he’d been adamant that he’d be uncomfortable sleeping with someone of a lower rank, even knowing he wasn’t exerting an imbalance of power and that Cody wanted it.

Which meant Cody slept with Satine and Obi-Wan slept with Satine, but separately, never all three together. At least not in anything more than the most innocent meaning of the phrase.

Because they did share the nights when they could, though never did anything more than some heavy kissing happen when it was all three of them.

Which meant rumors abound among the other clones, but none spoke about it too much, for fear of smearing the reputations of their general and commander.

Things had been going badly. The war effort was as it always was, but the Jedi- their reputation among the public had been driven into the ground, and Satine, though she didn’t say it, could see why. Shortly after saving Satine, the Council- sans Obi-Wan and Plo Koon- had handed Ahsoka over to a military tribunal. Luckily, Anakin and Obi-Wan proved her innocence, but still. The idea that the Council would hand a child over to her possible death worried Satine greatly.

She didn’t bring it up with either of her lovers though, because both had too high an opinion of the Jedi. She thought she’d have better luck with Cody, but even he was quite devoted to the members of the Order, though he did admit they made some questionable decisions sometimes.

Instead, she joined Padme’s little team of rebels against Palpatine. She threw everything she had into the one cause she thought she could actually do something about. She couldn’t end the war, and she couldn’t fix the Jedi Order, but politics was her arena. Surely they could stop Palpatine from his worrying gains in power.

She brought her thoughts back to the present. It was time to get up. Obi-Wan needed to get back to the Temple, and Cody needed to return to barracks before anyone noticed they were missing. And she needed to meet a member of Padme’s group for an early morning strategy meeting.

Still, she lingered as long as she felt she could without arousing suspicion, helping Obi-Wan into his robes, and Cody into his armor. Neither needed the help, many years of doing it on their own assured that, but she appreciated the opportunity to touch them. They were gone so often that she never got enough of them while they were here.

Then she got to work.

Later that day she received a comm from Obi-Wan. He looked nervous. Or as nervous as he ever looked at least.

“Obi, what is it?”

“Satine. I’ve been sent on a mission. Cody, too, of course. We have Grievous’ location.”

Satine took a deep breath of air.

“Be careful, my dear. Grievous is dangerous.”

“I know. We will be.”

Satine was able to meet with them a few minutes before they had to leave, and she made the most of the time, embracing them close and pressing kisses to their faces.

“Be safe, cyar’ika’e. Go end this war.”

-

She headed back to her apartment afterward, a small place that had never been enough when all three of them were over, pressing a hand to her stomach. She was so nervous she felt sick to her stomach. It made sense. Her two beloved were being sent into the worst of the war to take down the enemy general. She had reason to be nervous.

She thought she might go visit Padme. They hadn’t spoken in a while, and something had felt off about her friend the last time they had spoken.

Yes, she decided. It would be good to visit Padme. She’d get her mind off the worry she felt, and get a chance to check up on her friend, killing two birds with one stone.

Padme seemed to suspect about her and her beloveds, which meant Anakin knew. As far as she knew though, Anakin and Obi-Wan had never spoken of it, something she wanted to say was silly, but then she’d never brought it up to Padme either, too afraid she was misinterpreting the dynamic between Padme and Anakin.

After she arrived at Padme’s apartment, she was greeted warmly by the woman in question. They spent hours together, ruminating on the fates of their lovers.

Then they caught sight of the Jedi temple. In flames. And suddenly everything was different.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And we’re back! Part two has begun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry that Part Two took so long! But here it is finally!

When Anakin realized Palpatine was a Sith Lord, he went to Master Windu first. He was the first member of the Council that Anakin could find, and it was definitely important that the Council find out about this soon.

Master Windu soon headed off to face Palpatine, and Anakin so wanted to go with him, but he wasn’t granted permission to come along. He went the Council room as he was told, wanting Palpatine to die and at the same time, terrified he would.

He picked up his comm, wanting to speak to someone, but he didn’t know what he would say. How could he admit to wanting a Sith Lord to live? Even if his personal affection for him was gone, knowing he’d been lying to Anakin all these years, he could save Padme!

He remembered a long night he’d spent with Obi-Wan, both of them unable to sleep, and taking to drink just to pass the time. Obi-Wan has confessed, very briefly to having been very frightened when Satine’s life was threatened by Maul, how he’d spent nights after the event not sleeping because what if he tried again?

Anakin had asked a question, Obi-Wan had been reluctant to answer, and the subject changed.

Anakin tried to reassure himself with that thought as he rushed off to the Senate building. Even Obi-Wan had been afraid of losing people! It wasn’t unreasonable to want to save the person you loved!

He didn’t even do a good job convincing himself.

-

Anakin arrived, rushing to Palpatine's office. He saw the dead bodies of the other Jedi sent to arrest Palpatine. He didn’t react- too used to war for that- but he was saddened. He kept going anyway.

He found them in front of a window, Palpatine on the ground with Master Windu above him. Palpatine began pleading with Anakin, and Anakin faltered as he moved forward.

“We have to arrest him! Killing him- it’s not the Jedi way!”

Anakin stepped forward, pulling out his lightsaber, unsure himself what he was going to do. He thought of Padme, thought of Obi-Wan, and somewhere in his mind, a decision was made. He stepped forward, toward Master Windu- and drove his saber down.

When Palpatine blasted his lightning, he scowled.

“Fool! You could have joined me! But you have made a dangerous enemy today, Skywalker.” Anakin stood, back to back with Mace, and prepared for a fight.

-

They lost. Badly. Mace lost a hand and was hit with lightning up against the wall. When Anakin tried to help him, Palpatine got in a swipe to his legs. They remained attached, but it hurt to walk on them, let alone fight.

Finally, Mace made the call to retreat. Anakin didn’t protest, he knew well they wouldn’t win like this. They needed to regroup. They made their escape and headed for the Temple.

-

When they arrived to find the Temple under attack by the clones, Anakin cursed loudly. Mace snorted beside him, trudging along through the pain.

“This time, I agree, Skywalker.” They went right back to fighting, ignoring their own injuries for a chance to save anyone they could. It wasn’t enough.

Eventually they ran for the hangar bay with the few Jedi they’d managed to wrangle together. When they arrived, they saw that the hangar staff had not been spared, but a few of the ships had.

Anakin rushed up the ramp of the nearest ship in decent condition, headed to the pilot’s chair. Mace got everyone on board the ship as best he could.

Padawan Liarra eventually stood her ground and told him to lie down. Mace grinned, amused despite the situation at the Padawan’s boldness.

“On what grounds do you have that authority, Padawan?”

“My Master is- was a Healer, and so am I, and in medical matters, we have the final say!” Liarra finally managed to say. At the reminder of the great loss they’d all experienced, Mace grew more solemn than ever.

“I understand Padawan. Let’s just get everyone on board, then I promise I will lie down.”

Anakin began to fire up the ship, while a few Jedi headed out to gather anyone else they could find. Most returned.

Anakin wanted to wait on the last few, hoping they were still alive. It was so hard to tell, surrounded by death as they were. Finally, Mace ordered him to leave.

Just as Anakin was about to head off, one of the missing Knights returned, quietly sneaking a group of younglings into the hangar. Anakin paused, letting them climb onboard, and made the decision to retreat.

The Knight, Knight Meera, if he recalled correctly, smiled triumphantly as the ramp closed.

“Found these little ones just in time. They were headed to the Council Room.” His smiled dimmed. “Suppose they thought it would be safe there.” Mace closed his eyes, grieved at the reminder of his lost peers.

Anakin pulled off the ground, having to fire a few shots at the troopers rushing into the hangar. He was saddened and enraged to see them in his own colors of the 501st.

“Why?” He muttered to himself. “Why would they do this?”

The answer came to him a moment later, recalling Fives and his tragic death.

“Those karking chips!” He groaned aloud at the reminder, wondering why they hadn’t thought more about the matter, why they hadn’t investigated, asked more questions. They could have avoided this!

Or maybe not, he thought grimly. At the time, they certainly would have informed the Chancellor about the chips. Likely this would have just happened sooner if they had discovered it.

“... Master Windu?” He finally stood up and called back into the rest of the ship once they were in hyperspace.

“Yes?”

“If the clones are attacking everyone at the Temple… what’s happening to everyone in the field?”

“The same thing.”

“We… we have to do something!” Anakin insisted.

“What would you suggest, Knight Skywalker?” And while previously Anakin might have assumed tone of irritation, at the moment it just seemed curious. Like he genuinely wanted to know what Anakin thought.

“I- We should contact the rest of-” Anakin swayed suddenly, and Liarra looked up at him and quickly stood. She grabbed hold of his arms and guided him to the floor. Normally Anakin would insist he didn’t need a Healer help, but that would just be rude to the Padawan, and also, he thought he kind of really did need the help.

He reached up and touched his head, wincing at the sudden and quickly growing pain there.

“Knight Skywalker?” Numerous voices asked.

“Help me get him to the medbay!” Liarra shouted, and a few others moved to do so, picking up Anakin and moving forward toward the medbay. Anakin was out before they reached it.


	9. Chapter 9

“What's happened to him?”

“Master Windu, you really need to lay down! You lost a hand!”

“I’m in no immediate danger.”

“No, but it must hurt! And it’s not good to wave an unhealed stump around!”

“Padawan, can you determine the problem with Knight Skywalker?”

“I’m not sure. It’s like a severed bond, kind of.” Liarra spoke

“Master Kenobi?” Mace asked, concerned.

 “No. He still has an intact bond with Master Kenobi’s Force signature. This broken one… it’s not quite a bond. It’s more like a parasite. And it’s Dark.”

 Mace sighed. Palpatine. It must be. Who else would have the opportunity to put a parasite in Skywalker’s mind? The two had been close.

 “What happened?” 

“It’s like a bond. From what I can tell, it requires some degree of trust and connection. And that’s not there anymore. Master, did Knight Skywalker have a-” 

“Knight Skywalker considered Chancellor Palpatine a friend. You can see how that turned out. Padawan, you are not to mention this to anyone. If someone asks, he collapsed from exhaustion.” Liarra nodded hesitantly, but she did nod.

“Now, I will go lay down. As the Healer requests.” At Liarra’s uncertain look, Mace gave her a brief smile. He didn’t much feel it, but it was important to keep the girl’s spirits up. Liarra smile back. 

Back in the main area of the ship, other Jedi had turned on the news. They turned to him as he entered, and he made his way slowly back to the seats he’d been lying on before. Much as he tried to ignore it, the hand hurt badly, and he needed rest soon.

“Where are the younglings?” He asked when he’d gotten down. 

“My Padawan took them to the cargo hold. Knight Meera went with them.” Knight Barca spoke. 

“Good. They don’t need to see this.” For on the screen was Palpatine, speaking to the Senate.

-

_Not from a Jedi._

_I will do terrible things._

_Then let my daughter’s last act be to breathe life into your friend._

_We can be frightened. But we do not become them. That’s how we save them._

 

Anakin bolted upright from a nightmare, only to realize it was still happening. Palpatine was a Sith Lord. Anakin has fought with Master a Windu against him, and now he was uncertain whether or not that was the right decision. Maybe they could have disabled him enough that he could tell them things. Tell them… how to save people.

No, Anakin shook himself out of it. It was the right thing to do. For the Galaxy.

_But what about for us? What about for Padme?_

Maybe Palpatine didn’t even know what he was talking about! He certainly had lied to Anakin for years already anyway. 

“Knight Skywalker?” A teenage girl spoke. Anakin saw the girl from before come through the medbay doors.

“Yes, Padawan?”

“Master Windu asked to see you.”

Anakin tried not to scowl. It was important to work together right now. He stood, carefully, finding himself relatively stable. 

“He’s in the cockpit.” The girl said. Anakin nodded at her, and made his way up to the cockpit.

When Anakin entered the cockpit, Master Windu greeted him with a nod.

“Skywalker. We’re headed back to Coruscant.”

 “Why?”

 “Sidious has declared the Republic an Empire and the Jedi traitors. People will be in danger, particularly those in the Senate who have been on our side. We need to help who we can.”

 Anakin swallowed hard. Padme. She wouldn’t be safe with Palpatine in charge. He knew about them, and now he hated Anakin.

 “Good idea.” Anakin said.

“We should be arriving soon. We’ll need your help to stay undetected.” 

“I’ve never tried to sneak onto Coruscant before.”

“You’re our best bet at being able to do it.”

 “Thank you.” Anakin was surprised at the praise. But he was grateful. This would give him a chance to get to Padme.

 -

 Padme stared at the Temple aflame until Satine shook her.

“We have to get out of here!”

“Where?” Padme drew her gaze away with great effort. The child inside her was kicking hard, as though it knew something was wrong. 

“I don’t know. Do you have a ship? Palpatine…”

“What?”

“I was watching the news earlier. He’s declared himself emperor and the Jedi traitors. We’re not safe.”

“Right. We need to get out of here.” Once Padme had shaken herself off, she realized Satine was right. Palpatine would soon start hitting back at Senators who opposed him. It was important that they not be here when that happened.

-

A noise came from the balcony, and Satine reached for her stun blaster in her boot.

“No, wait. It could be Anakin.” Padme still reached for her own blaster before heading toward the balcony.

But when the doors opened, it was indeed Anakin standing there.

 “Padme.” Anakin started at her. “We have to go.” He looked around the room. “Oh good, Duchess, you’re here too. Obi-Wan would be glad to know you’re safe.” Anakin jaw worked suddenly.

“Is he okay?” Satine caught sight of it.

“I think so. The Empire is reporting his death, but I didn’t feel our bond break, which it would have if he died. But I don’t know where he is, which means they could have him.”

There was a long moment of silence then, before Padme spoke.

“I’m going to contact my allies.”

“Who?” Anakin asked. 

“A few of my fellows started to suspect Palpatine as being undemocratic. We never thought… but I should talk to them.” 

Padme grabbed her coded comm and the three headed for Anakin’s speeder.

On the way back to the ship, Padme comes Mon first. She was safe, and wanted to remain in the Senate, hoping she could work from the inside. Padme wished her luck, and dialed Bail. 

“Hello?”

“Bail!” Padme spoke. 

“Padme.” Bail sighed in relief. “Could you come to my ship? I have something I need to give to you.”

“Yes, but…”

“Trust me Padme.” 

“I do.”

She hung up, and tapped on Anakin’s shoulder.

“To the shipyard!” She shouted.

“That’s where I was headed anyway!” He called back. Padme put a hand on Satine’s shoulder. She looked uncomfortable.

“Anakin always drives like this. You get used to it.” Padme knew that wasn’t the problem but she hoped the reassurance would help regardless. 

“Yes. I’m sure I will.”

When they had arrived at the shipyard Anakin first escorted Satine to the ship.

“Padme. You should stay here.”

“Bail trusts me, not you, Anakin. I need to be there for whatever he needs to give me.” Padme insisted. Anakin knew that tone, and knew there would be no arguing, and so simply followed.

At the ship, Padme greeted Bail as she would normally. No need to raise an alarm where there wasn’t one.

“Padme. I’m so glad you’re here. And you as well Knight Skywalker.”

“Me?”

“Yes. This package is for you as well.”

Bail opened the ramp to the ship, and down stepped Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn’t find any canon old temples other than the one on Yavin so I made one up.

Obi-Wan seemed off. It was all Anakin could think about as they made their way quietly to their ship. It was good to see him alive and uncaptured, of course. But he was acting weird.

When they arrived, everyone was very happy to see Yoda and Obi-Wan alive, and they were equally glad to see survivors. It seemed they’d been to the Temple earlier, to send out a warning not to return to any Jedi that survived the initial onslaught.

Obi-Wan, Mace, Yoda, and a few others gathered together to discuss what the next move should be, while Anakin piloted them off Coruscant. Padme and Satine joined the larger group to discuss.

Eventually, Obi-Wan came in to the cockpit, and he gave Anakin some coordinates to head toward.

“Where are we going?” Anakin asked.

“One of the old Temples. We still technically own them and their planets, though we haven’t laid claim to them in centuries.”

“Palpatine will look there.” Anakin protested.

“Yes, but we need a place to land. There are too many of us to go to an inhabited world and try to settle. We need a home base.” Obi-Wan sighed after his words, settling down on the edge of the copilot’s seat.

“What’s wrong?” Anakin asked. “Besides the obvious.”

“Cody tried to kill me. Why would he do that? I thought…”

“Oh. Oh, Obi-Wan. I thought you knew. Listen. A while back, when Fives died, you remember?”

“Yes.”

“He died because he was trying to tell us the truth, I think. There are these chips in the clones’ heads. Fives tried to warn us, said something was wrong, but… I didn’t listen.” He paused, clenching his fist. “Anyway, I think the chips were some kind of control device. They didn’t have a choice.” He snorted. “I should have known. Slaves always have one.”

Obi-Wan looked simultaneously relieved and like he’d been punched in the gut.

“So Cody is a prisoner of the Sith?” His voice tried to remain steady but didn’t quite manage it.

“Obi-Wan… I’m so sorry.” Anakin reached over to him and grabbed his hand. Obi-Wan seemed unsure how to react to the touch, but eventually his hand relaxed in Anakin’s grip.

“I left him there. Just left him behind. How could I have thought he’d betray me?” Obi-Wan murmured.

“You didn’t know.” Anakin reassured.

“No I didn’t. And now, because of my ignorance, the man I love is held captive in his own mind. If his mind is even still holding together.” Anakin tried not to let in a sharp breath at the admission. He’d known, kind of. It was hard to hide the way the two of them had begun to orbit each other, and the way Cody spent fewer and fewer nights in his own quarters, but to hear it aloud was another thing.

“He’s going to be okay. We’ll find him.” Anakin promised, knowing it would be another promise he’d struggle to keep.

-

Padme knew the Jedi were watching her. They suspected, she just knew it. She conversed quietly with Satine and Master Windu, about what they could do now, and tried to avoid the lingering glances from around the room.

After a long while, Anakin and Obi-Wan came out of the cockpit and announced that they were headed for some old Jedi Temple if days long gone. Padme greeted them professionally and settled in to wait.

-

Anakin was relieved when they finally arrived on Bothawui, far away from any settlements on the planet.

The remaining Jedi climbed out of the ship and trekked toward the Temple. Anakin caught sight of Obi-Wan helping Padme out of the ship, and was grateful to him. This would be a hard trek for her, who was relatively unused to long walks and eight months pregnant.

They made it to the temple, which was small and somewhat crumbling, but would be able to hold their small group. Anakin directed them all inside, and recruited a few Knights and Masters to salvage supplies from the ship.

“We’re going to need all we can get from the ship before it gets marked as wanted by the Empire.” He explained as they headed back. “So we’re going to wreck it up and bring anything of use back to the temple.”

“Isn’t it dangerous to destroy our only means of transportation?” One Knight asked.

“Palpatine will know we stole that ship. If we get caught on planet, our best guess is to scatter, or steal another ship. That ship is going to be most wanted.”

When they arrived back at the ship, Anakin directed some to strip the ship and others to carry things back. He supervised for a while, his expertise with mechanics going a long way toward knowing what was good and what wasn’t, before he joined the group bringing medical supplies back to the temple.

When they arrived, he saw that they were starting to find areas that could be lived in, and he began to set up a small med bay in one of the rooms.

Afterwards, he found Liarra.

-

“I’m going to go help grab supplies.” Satine said to Obi-Wan. “I can’t do much good here anyway.”

“Hmm?”

“I can’t help determine if these walls are stable. I might as well do something useful and bring back supplies.”

“Oh. Yes. First, I need to tell you something.” Obi-Wan hesitated, then led Satine further down the halls they were exploring. Satine was reluctant to go. She thought she knew what this was about.

“Cody…” Yes, she knew.

“He’s dead, isn’t he?” Satine interrupted, tears welling in her eyes. “That’s why he’s not here.” She didn’t want to discuss this right now. Her emotions were all over the place today. They had been even before everything happened, and now it was even worse.

“Not quite.” Obi-Wan took a deep breath, and explained the chips. As he talked, Satine found herself paling dramatically.

“No…” she finally murmured. “That- how could someone do that?” The idea that someone had forced her love to try and kill anyone was abhorrent. The idea that the person he tried to kill was their partner was even worse.

“That is who the Sith are. They will ruin everything they touch.” Obi-Wan said.

Satine found that she felt dizzy, and at first, attributed it to the news, but then realized this went far beyond that.

“Obi… something’s wrong.” Her voice came out breathy, and she went to sit down on a fallen piece of wall.

“Satine?” He moved closer, catching her arms in his. Just in time, because even sitting, the sudden wave of dizziness knocked her over, and she collapsed.

-

The young Padawan Healer seems nervous when she was examining Padme.

“I really don’t do these kinds of things.” She explained. “Jedi don’t have children, so I only really know the basics about pregnancy.”

“That’s alright. I’m sure nothing’s wrong.” Padme reassured her.

“Then why did you want a checkup?” Liarra asked, glancing toward the doorway, outside of which, Padme knew, Anakin was hovering.

“I just want to be sure everything is okay.” Padme hedged. She could hardy explain the truth- that Anakin had dragged her in here and demanded it.

“Well, everything looks normal. We’ll have to see what we can do when you’re ready to deliver, maybe find a midwife from the planet, but everything seems fine now.”

“Thank you, Padawan Liarra.” Padme said, moving to stand from the one soft surface they’d dragged in here.

It was a good thing she did, because the next moment, Obi-Wan appeared in the doorway, holding an unconscious Satine Kryze.

Liarra moved into action immediately, scanning Satine with her eyes, and likely the Force as well, and Obi-Wan brought her over to the makeshift bed Padme had just been sitting on.

He laid her down very gently, and Padme could see the concern in his eyes. When she’d been set down, he kept petting her hair, and speaking to her. Satine mumbled something in response.

“What happened?” Padme asked.

“I don’t know. She claimed she felt ill, and then she collapsed.”

Meanwhile Liarra took a basic blood test, and entered the data in a small device. She furrowed her brows as she looked at the results.

Much to everyone’s relief, Satine roused. She still seemed a bit shaky, but she propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. While that was happening, Liarra scanned the blood test and compared the results to the tests she had done on Padme.

Finally, she looked up.

“Hello Duchess Kryze. I think I should tell you this information in private.” At the not-so-subtle prompting, Padme and Obi-Wan left the room. Liarra took a deep breath.

“I checked your blood results. You have a higher level that usual of certain compounds, which seems to correlate with a certain condition that I know can cause fainting. Duchess, I think you’re pregnant.”


End file.
